Su Xingze returned to the Shen Residence, and after bathing and changing his clothes, he headed for the Princess Residence.
Upon hearing him identify himself, the gatekeeper of the Princess Residence promptly ushered him inside with respect, "Young Master Su, please follow me."
Su Xingze noticed that the gatekeeper let him in directly without needing to announce him. He gave the gatekeeper an extra look, nodded, and entered the Princess Residence.
As the gatekeeper led him in, he offered an explanation, "You are Lady Su Qi’s elder brother. The Princess specifically instructed us this morning that if you come, I should just lead you in."
Su Xingze nodded.
The gatekeeper led Su Xingze to the reception room, the housekeeper rushed over upon hearing the news, engaged in courtesy, and ordered the maidservants to prepare tea and water, warmly welcoming Su Xingze.
Su Xingze has visited many homes as a guest before, but the servants here at the Princess Residence were even more enthusiastic. He was indeed thirsty. After returning to the Shen Residence, he had hurried over without even drinking water. So, while drinking tea, he listened to the housekeeper talk.
The housekeeper asked with a smile, "You just came from the examination site, without a break, and you already came here, right?"
Su Xingze nodded, "My sister has been causing trouble in your residence for many days. I am here to pick her up."
Upon hearing this, the housekeeper exclaimed, "Oh my!" and chuckled, "I’m afraid you won’t be able to take her away."
Su Xingze looked at him.
Fearing a misunderstanding, the housekeeper hurriedly said, "Ever since Lady Su Qi came to the Princess Residence, it has become livelier than before. Our princess is happy every day, and the servants are no longer languid. They even work more energetically. Both the princess and the prince consort wear smiles on their faces every day. Lady Su Qi has only been here a few days, and we already don’t want to let her go. This morning, I heard the princess say that she wished Lady Su Qi would stay a few more days. Su Qi agreed."
Su Xingze: "..."
Although he had heard from Shen Xian that Su Rong was doing very well at the Princess Residence, he had not expected things to be this good. He was momentarily speechless.
"Don’t worry, everyone in our residence likes Lady Su Qi very much. Lady Su Qi herself said she eats well, drinks well, and sleeps comfortably at the Princess Residence." The housekeeper, fearing he was worried, reassured, "Our chef even prepares a variety of dishes for Lady Su Qi. Yesterday, she commented that she felt as if she had gained weight."
Su Xingze had never seen Su Rong gain weight. From childhood, she’d always been skinny. He could not imagine what she would look like if she gained weight.
The housekeeper really wished Su Rong would stay longer. When the master is happy, it’s easier for them, the servants, too. Hence, he showered her with praises: "I have never seen a more likeable young lady than Su Qi. She’s very agreeable and easy-going. It speaks volumes about the excellent upbringing at the Su Residence to have such a person as you and Lady Su Qi."
It was the first time Su Xingze had heard someone praise Su Rong so blatantly. He thought his mother should hear this. In Jiangning County, he had never heard anyone praise Su Rong in this manner.
The housekeeper praised Su Xingze as well, "I’ve heard that many scholars had to be carried out of the examination site midway. Some fainted after leaving the site. But look at you. You’ve been taking exams for quite a few days, yet you still look lively and elegant with no signs of exhaustion after leaving the examination site. Indeed commendable. You’re indeed Lady Su Qi’s elder brother. Lady Su Qi is always energetic. Take shuttlecock kicking, for example. The maidservants who’ve got the energy for heavy chores can only kick about two hundred times at most. But if Lady Su Qi doesn’t call to stop, she could keep going without getting tired at all. Her physical well-being is truly great."
Su Xingze nodded, "Indeed, Qi’er is very energetic."
"When one’s body is healthy, their energy is strong. This is a good thing." The housekeeper gave more praise, "So, rest assured, Lady Su Qi can do whatever makes her comfortable here. Everyone here welcomes her to continue her stay."
Su Xingze was at a loss for words. He had not anticipated this situation when coming to the Princess Residence.
When Su Rong, Fen Ling, and Duanhua arrived in the reception room, they heard the housekeeper’s speech. Duanhua was pleased and felt that the housekeeper was exceptionally dedicated. He truly deserved his parents’ trust to be the housekeeper of the Princess Residence and had won their approval.
"Big Brother!" Su Rong called out and saw that although Su Xingze looked slightly fatigued, overall, he was in good shape. At this point, she was relieved, "Did you come to pick me up?"
Su Xingze nodded, "Yes, I came to pick you up."
"Not allowed." As Duanhua stepped in, she heard their exchange and arrogantly said, "Su Rong has already agreed to stay in my residence for a while longer. Either you go back alone, or you stay here too."
Su Xingze: "..."
He gazed at Duanhua. Last time on the way to the capital, she had been acting crazy with Zhou Gu. He hadn’t really paid much attention then. Seeing her now, she did seem to have the aura of a princess, at least, she was wearing her vermilion hairpin and gown neatly, without any signs of disorder or disrespect.
He rose to greet Duanhua with a salute, "Princess!"
Duanhua straightened her back and responded with a "Hmm," "Please rise."
Su Xingze said, "My sister has been causing trouble here, so I thought..."
"No trouble at all." Duanhua interrupted him, "I especially asked her to stay for a few more days."
Su Xingze was blocked by her and turned his head to look at Su Rong.
With a playful smile, Su Rong said to him, "Big brother, you arrived really quickly. I had intended to send Fen Ling to inform you, but Fen Ling insisted on waiting until the hibiscus cakes were ready so she could bring you a slice. Now that the hibiscus cakes are fresh out of the oven, you’re already here."
She took the two boxes of pastries from Fen Ling’s hands and pushed them into Su Xingze’s, "Since you’re here, there’s no need for Fen Ling to go and find you. You can take the hibiscus cake back yourself!"
Su Xingze: "..."
His sister was at the Princess Residence, acting as if she owned the place, taking whatever food she wanted. Was that really appropriate?
He looked at Su Rong, "Aren’t you coming home with me? Uncle Shen mentioned that you should stay with me at the Shen Residence." He thought for a moment, then added, "The cooks at the Shen Residence make very delicious meals and pastries."
Fen Ling’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Su Rong’s eyes also shone at his words. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Duanhua immediately felt threatened by the Shen Residence’s kitchen and hastily said, "You’ve promised me, you can’t go back on your word."
Fen Ling quickly swallowed the words "We’ll go to the Shen Residence then!" that were on the tip of her tongue.
Su Rong felt that one must keep their promise. Looking at Duanhua who was on the verge of panic, she patted her hand and soothed, "We promised we’ll stay with you for a few more days, and we won’t go back on our promise. Don’t worry."
They still had to take care of the matter of using her to go to the Prince Residence, hence they couldn’t leave.
Upon hearing this, Duanhua felt at ease, but she glared harshly at Su Xingze, thinking to herself that he was such an annoying person, he was doing this deliberately.
Hearing this, Su Xingze could only say, "Alright then."
Just as he was thinking about asking Duanhua for permission to have a private talk with Su Rong, he was rushed by Su Rong. "Big brother, you’ve just finished your exam. Hurry up and go back for a rest! I’m doing just fine, you don’t have to worry about me."
Su Xingze could only close his mouth and nod his head, "Alright then."
Since he was at the Princess Residence, he thought it polite to greet the princess and the prince consort. So, he asked Duanhua, "May I ask, is the princess and the prince consort at home?"
Duanhua knew exactly what he meant, shook her head, and waved her hand dismissively, "My father has official duties, he’s not home. My mother was invited out by someone, she’s also not home."
With a nod, Su Xingze understood. If that was the case, then there’s no need to meet them. He bid his farewell and left the Residence.
When Su Rong was about to walk him out, Duanhua grabbed her by the arm. She asked the housekeeper, "You escort him out. And take the item I asked you to prepare this morning and give it to Young Master Su as an advanced congratulations on his success in topping the exams."
The housekeeper quickly nodded his agreement.
Even though Su Xingze didn’t see what the item was, he was still taken by surprise by Duanhua’s words, "Thank you, my Lady, but it’s really not necessary..."
"Just accept it. If you were not Su Rong’s brother, I wouldn’t bother with you." Duanhua took Su Rong by the hand and walked away, without giving him a chance to refuse.
Su Rong didn’t resist when Duanhua pulled her away. After walking a few steps, she turned around and gave Su Xingze a playful wink before following Duanhua away.
Fen Ling stayed behind and moved closer to Su Xingze to ask, "Young Master, are the dishes and pastries cooked by the Shen residence’s kitchen really delicious?"
Su Xingze looked at Fen Ling with an indescribable expression, "Before, my little sister Su Qi wasn’t such a foodie."
The implication being that it was all Fen Ling’s bad influence.
"That’s not true." Fen Ling rejected this blame, "Deep down, she’s just like me. We both love to eat. The reason you never found out is that she grew up in Jiangning County and unconsciously ate everything in the county growing tired of them overtime. Even the food cooked by Su Residence’s chef couldn’t entice her anymore, hence her love for food was not noticeable. No, or perhaps with Yuewan who loved food more than her around, it wasn’t as obvious. During her recovery, you wouldn’t know how much she craved for meat while she was eating her medicinal meals every day. Once her injuries were healed, she started trying out different foods. Now that we’re in Capital City, there are so many delicious foods here, of course, she has to take advantage of that."
Su Xingze asked in a low voice, "When did you come to Capital City?"
He was not convinced that they arrived only on the day the examinations started.
With a wink, Fen Ling, replied softly, "We arrived much earlier and stayed at the Eastern Palace for a while. On the day of the exams, we went out for a stroll, but were discovered by Lady Duanhua, so we moved here to the Princess Residence."
Su Xingze thought, I knew it! Taking a deep breath, he said, "You certainly are adventurous!"
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